Riding a gondola in Venice

Author: Lathan Gregg | Major: Industrial Engineering

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity of studying in Florence for six weeks. I knew that this experience was going to be memorable, but I had no idea how much it would impact my perspective and opinions of myself and the world.

I chose this program because I have always been very fascinated with Italian culture, food, and language and because I wanted to explore one of the most ancient and historically significant cities in the world. For my classes, I took Introduction to Marketing and Italian I. Every Monday through Thursday I would walk 15 minutes to the Istituto Lorenzo de Medici building where we met for class. The first day, I was shocked at how small the class sizes were: just me, two other students, and the professor. However, the small class sizes soon became one of my favorite aspects of class because it promoted a collaborative class culture that allowed me to ask questions and have a deeper understanding of the content. Both of these classes were very beneficial for different reasons. In Marketing, I learned how much more there is to marketing than simply advertising and also earned credit toward my business minor. In Italian, as I learned more of the language, I started to feel more ingrained in the culture and less like a tourist. Another advantage was that my Italian professor, Luca, grew up in Florence and taught us a lot about Italian culture and societal expectations. He also gave us a lot of great recommendations for gelato, food, and entertainment. I also learned how to make pasta. As part of my program, I got to take a cooking class where we made fresh pasta with basil and almond pesto from scratch as well as an eggplant caprese and tiramisu. In Italy, food is taken very seriously so getting to learn how to cook from an Italian chef was a really special experience and a delicious one as well. In addition to what I learned in my different classes, being an ocean away from everyone and everything I was comfortable with pushed me to grow and learn a lot about myself. I interacted with people from all over the world and learned that more things unite us as humans than separate us.

As part of the API program, we got to go on cultural excursions to learn more about Florence and other nearby cities. For one particularly interesting excursion, we got to visit the city of Modena in Northern Italy. In addition to being known for its automotive industry, Modena is famous for its production of balsamic vinegar. In Modena, we got to see the production first-hand by touring Acetaia San Matteo which is a family-run balsamic vinegar farm. During our tour, we got to see the traditional process of balsamic vinegar production, from grape to bottle, which has been perfected and passed down for hundreds of years. Our tour was led by Sandra, who lived and worked at the farm. It was incredible to see how much passion Sandra and her husband had for balsamic vinegar. For them, it was more than a dressing. It was an art form and a way of life. Another particularly memorable experience came when I visited the city of Amalfi on the western coast of Italy with friends I met on my program. We were hiking Sentiero degli Dei, Italian for The Path of the Gods, a hike along the mountainous coastline with stunning views every step of the four-mile trek. We came to a particularly beautiful section of the hike that offered a stunning view of the Tyrrhenian sea and protruding coastline and decided to look for a place to stop and enjoy the view. Soon after, we saw an old stone building with people sitting at tables outside. We approached the building hesitantly because we were not certain if it was a home or restaurant. Thankfully, right as we were about to turn around and leave, A lady sitting outside encouraged us to go in and ask for something to drink, noting that it was an interesting place but a worthwhile experience. We went in and found the owner, a hospitable middle-aged farmer who introduced himself as “Antonio, the Shepard.” He gave us some wine and we sat down at a table that looked out over the coast. Soon after, he delivered a platter of goat cheese drizzled with honey and then a plate of freshly sliced lemons, neither of which we ordered. We sat for a while and enjoyed the view, and the food, and talking to the other people there, who were all surprised that a group of American students had found this place. When we were ready to leave, we went inside and asked Antonio about paying. He handed us a wicker basket and told us to just tip whatever we wanted. I was very fascinated with how little he seemed to care about money. He seemed genuinely happy to serve people and to have visitors. I eventually realized that there was no reason for him, or really anyone to stress about money if he was able to provide for himself while doing something that brought him joy. It was a day and a visit that I will not soon forget.

My time in Italy was filled with great food, new experiences, learning, and adventure. I got so much more out of the experience than I could have possibly imagined. I would recommend this program to other students but would encourage anyone studying abroad to prioritize finding the program that best fits their interests and goals. Some advice that I would tell anyone planning to study abroad is to never waste a day or an opportunity. Many of my favorite experiences from my time studying abroad happened because I wanted to make every day count and did my best to be optimistic about everything. I am so thankful for the experiences I had and the lessons I learned abroad and am already looking for future opportunities for international experience.